Page 40 of Wrapped Up at the Vintage Dress Shop
The sound of a pug screaming.
Because Coco Chanel, having eaten her breakfast in the back office, had now entered the shop en route to the atelier where she’d spend most of the morning snoozing. She was a creature of routine.
But the mere sight of Coco had caused Peggy to rear up on her hind legs and start caterwauling. It was now quite obvious why she’d been banned from doggy day care.
‘Sorry. Peggy doesn’t play well with others,’ Birdy said as she tried to shield Peggy from the sight of Coco who seemed to toss her head in disdain at the howling pug then trotted up the stairs.
Phoebe was so proud of her. At least Coco had good manners.
Alas, when Coco was safely halfway up the stairs, she turned to bark at Peggy whose decibel level rose accordingly.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Birdy said again.
‘Anita, maybe you could show them out to the patio?’ Phoebe suggested when the noise had gone on long enough. ‘We’ve got a lovely view of the canal. It’s very calming.’
Faisal shot her a grateful look as he gathered up the plump pug and followed Anita who’d risen from the pink sofa with a beleaguered air. She’d never have shown such attitude during Phoebe’s reign.
‘Hopefully there aren’t any boats out there,’ Faisal said as he hurried past. ‘Peggy doesn’t like boats.’
Peggy was clearly a very spoilt little madam who wasn’t given proper boundaries, Phoebe decided. Talking of boundaries . . .
‘So, you’re just going to shoot the rental dresses?’ Phoebe asked Birdy. ‘Was Sophy quite clear about that?’
Birdy nodded. ‘Very clear. But also, I’m going to try very hard not to buy any dresses while I’m here. Very, very hard.’ She gazed longingly at a sea green chiffon kaftan, which was hanging up by the changing rooms because a customer was coming to collect it at lunchtime. ‘Stay strong, Birdy. You know you haven’t got the length of leg for a maxi.’
Where was Sophy? It showed very poor time management skills. Still, Phoebe didn’t have anything pressing to do and there was a part of her that was curious to see what an influencer actually did. Also, it was probably best that she was there to make sure that no dresses were harmed during the shooting of this #sponcon.
‘As we’re quiet, you can use one of the changing rooms,’ Phoebe offered graciously. ‘Has Sophy already pulled some dresses for you?’
She hadn’t. Of course she hadn’t. ‘Though she said it was probably best to wait until now as she only had limited stockand she didn’t know what might be rented or returned over the weekend,’ Birdy explained which all seemed very loosey-goosey to Phoebe.
Phoebe walked over to the rail of rental dresses, which were looking a bit sparse after a busy Friday and Saturday. ‘Well, this would look good on you,’ she decided, selecting a black 1960s A-line minidress shot through with silver lurex thread. ‘Not sure how it will photograph though. And this 1940s cocktail dress.’ It was adorned with champagne glasses and party hats on black rayon silk. ‘Who doesn’t love a novelty print?’
‘Me! I love a novelty print,’ Birdy said with genuine excitement. ‘I’ll try that one on first.’
While Birdy was getting changed into her first look, Peggy Gug was safely contained in the back office and Faisal set up the ring light. A couple of customers did come in while all this was going on, but Phoebe could tell that they were just idle browsers keen to spend a few minutes in the warmth. She had a nose for these things.
Birdy emerged from the dressing room in the cocktail dress, which she’d accessorised with black suede peep-toe heels she could hardly walk in.
‘Your jewellery is all wrong. The dress is already making a statement. You don’t need your necklace clamouring for attention too,’ Phoebe said as Birdy fingered the big gold necklace she was wearing.
‘Do you think?’ she asked uncertainly.
‘I know.’ Phoebe was already unlocking the door of the glass display cabinet. ‘I’ve got a couple of faux jet wrist cuffs in here and maybe these jet beads too. I’d double loop them.’
She had planned to be just a casual observer but Phoebe found it so hard to be casual when vintage looks were being put together. Once Birdy was dressed to their mutual satisfaction, Phoebe perched on a stool behind the till and watchedas Birdy went through a series of poses from standing on one leg with the other leg kicked out behind her to gaily swinging her black beaded necklace about to elegantly sprawling on one of the sofas.
During all this, she and Faisal would take breaks to look at the pictures he’d just shot on an impressive-looking camera so they could reshoot if necessary. Then they shot some live action on camera and phone before Birdy disappeared into the changing room to try on another outfit.
She shot four separate looks then was back in the clothes she’d arrived in: a pair of black corduroy dungarees with a paisley 1960s long-sleeved top and the same pair of black Chuck Taylors that Phoebe had. Birdy shot some footage on her phone, her arm outstretched as she raved about ‘the best vintage shop in London. Seriously, guys, I’m not even sure I want you to know about it because I want to gatekeep all these gorgeous vintage dresses for myself. So, like, when I found out they were offering a new rental service, I was first in line to check it out and it couldn’t be any easier to use . . .’
By this time, Sophy was back from the supermarket. She’d been so long that Phoebe had begun to wonder if she’d had to milk the cow herself. Faisal shot some pics of Sophy standing in front of her little rental rail of dresses but only after Phoebe had fixed her make-up.
‘You’re not even wearing eyeliner,’ she gently scolded as she gave Sophy’s eyes more definition.
‘Because eyeliner is more of an evening look,’ Sophy protested though she wasn’t protesting that hard.
It was approaching the lunchtime rush (or as much foot traffic as ever rushed on a Monday) when Birdy decided she had everything she needed.
